


Stone Mechanisms

by swiftishere



Series: MSA One-Shots [38]
Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Broken Bones, Claustrophobia, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Post-Canon, Trapped, Whump, uh uh what's the tag called, yeah that, yknow that thing where characters are in a maze and then the walls/ceiling start closing in?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29954331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swiftishere/pseuds/swiftishere
Summary: Arthur and Lewis get separated from Vivi, trapped in a mazelike part of the underground complex they're exploring.And then the walls start closing in.Trapped in a single tiny room, Lewis does his best to keep them from being crushed - and Arthur tries to keep him from panicking.
Relationships: Arthur & Lewis (Mystery Skulls Animated), Arthur/Lewis (Mystery Skulls Animated)
Series: MSA One-Shots [38]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1440190
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Stone Mechanisms

The mechanisms of this place are actually pretty impressive. The intricate networks of gears and pulleys that must be working behind the scenes, in perfect timing, to slot the heavy stone blocks together like puzzle pieces and compress the tunnels into nonexistence – whoever, _whatever_ had created them must have had a lot of knowledge and a _lot_ of patience. 

And it’s moving slow enough that it shouldn’t have been too hard to escape. If they had just been _faster_. 

But Arthur’s barely staying upright, let alone running. If it weren’t for Lewis pulling him along, for his ambient glow lighting the halls, he’d probably have been pinned in a tunnel and crushed a long time ago. Blood loss is making his head spin and his legs shake. He presses his hand harder into the ball of shirt cloth at his side, redoubling his efforts to stem the bleeding. 

They exit into another small chamber, only for Lewis to pull up short. Arthur peeks around his side and sees why – the only other exit out of this room has already narrowed so much that there’s no way they’re fitting through it. They turn around in unison, but the hall they’d come through is already almost closed. 

“… _shit_.” 

They’re trapped. 

The beat of Lewis’s anchor is suddenly audible, rapid and erratic, as he spins around in some vain hope that another exit will have opened. The stone walls just continue to slowly grind on each other as they slide inwards. 

The sound of his anchor beating just adds to his panic, the noise pressing down on him and making the space feel even smaller than it already is. It’s so _dark_ , the only light his own weak magenta glow, and – trapped he’s _trapped_ it’s so _small_ he can already _feel the stone_ crushing his shoulders and forcing him into a tiny ball– 

“Lew- Lewis! Hey!” Arthur’s voice cuts through the buzzing alarm in his head. He isn’t touching him, but he’s gotten between him and the sliding wall, forcing him to look him in the eye. “We’re okay. It’s okay. Vi- Vi’s gonna f-find- find and reverse this, we’re gonna be fine, we just g- h- have'ta wait a little bit and then we’ll be okay, alright? Deep breaths. We’re gonna get out of here.” 

He swallows and exhales shakily, forcing himself to follow Arthur’s breathing. That example isn’t exactly steady either, but but despite the hitches it’s a lot better than he was doing a second ago. He doesn’t _need_ the air, but the rhythm is comforting, and it provides a good base for the beat of his anchor to follow. 

Once his heartbeat’s calmed down to a more normal rate, Arthur switches walls so he’s almost shoulder-to-shoulder with him, and slides down to the floor, hand still pressed to his side. It’s a smart move, they’re going to be forced there anyway if the ceiling keeps dropping, but it’s hard for Lewis to force himself to follow suit. It makes his anxiety spike again, a pressure building in his throat. 

“Can you- I-I don’t know-“ Arthur puts a hand on the wall sliding towards him. 

It takes a minute to click, and then Lewis blinks. 

Only two walls and the ceiling are moving, the floor and the other two holding stationary. It’s tricky to find a position where he can reach all three at once, but once he’s _in_ that position, it’s not hard to keep everything in place. Arthur had the right idea – his spectral strength probably isn’t enough to push the walls back _out_ , and there’s no point doing that anyway, when all the other halls are– he forces himself not to finish the sentence, _blocked off_ – but he can keep the room from getting any smaller. 

After a few minutes of silence, during which he tries and repeatedly fails to steer his brain away from the current situation, another horrible thought occurs to him. 

“How much oxygen do you think is in here?” 

He shouldn’t be bringing it up – it isn’t a problem for _him_ , after all, it’s just going to freak Arthur out if anything – but the words are out of his mouth before he can stop himself. 

Arthur meets his gaze without any of the panic he feels, though he can see the tension behind his eyes. “Enough. I mean-“ he looks around. “Th-this room probably isn’t _totally_ airtight, a-and even if it is… th-there’s plenty of air. We’re not gonna be here for that long any- anyway. Vivi’ll get us out in, what, half an hour at- a-at most?” He gives him an insistent look. “It’ll be fine.” 

_Half an hour_ , the thought of waiting that long makes the pressure build on him again. His arms shake, and he has to refocus on bracing them against the walls. Or – is everything getting legitimately heavier, as whatever force is moving the stone is building against him? He honestly can’t tell. 

“Arthur, what if I can’t-“ 

“Hey, no, shut up. You- y- y’d- you’re doing great. You got th-this. Not much longer, okay?” His voice is weaker now, lacking much inflection, but the determined conviction in his eyes is the same. Lewis forces himself to nod. 

Another long silence, where Lewis closes his eyes and just focuses on Arthur’s breathing, blocking everything else out. 

When he opens his eyes again, he realizes Arthur’s gone still, looking almost asleep. Or… 

_“Arthur!”_

He shifts with an inquisitive hum. Not asleep, just resting. “What’s up?” 

“Nothing. Just…” the curdling anxiety in his chest relaxes a little. “Wanted to make sure you were awake.” 

He cracks a smile, head dropping to one side, and Lewis sees the arm across his stomach tighten. “I’m f-fine. Not gonna black out on you.” 

“…How are you feeling?” 

A shrug. “Fine. Seriously, d-don- don’t worry, I’m okay. A li’l tired, but I got it.” 

He scans over him, but from this angle it’s impossible to see if he’s bled through the wad of fabric yet. “…Promise you’ll stay awake. I… if you don’t…” he can’t bring himself to finish the sentence. 

“Promise. I’m not go-g-gonna leave you.” 

With that, they drift back into silence for a while. Lewis strains his ears to hear any noise from outside, any indication someone’s coming for them, but other than Arthur’s breathing, it’s quiet. It seems to drag on forever, the seconds ticking away achingly slowly. 

He tries to push away the creeping despair. Arthur’s right – there _must_ be a way to open the passages back up, and Vivi _will_ find it. It probably won’t take her long, either. Unless – something’s _happened_ to her… 

His brace against the stone weakens, for just a moment. Then the walls are snapping inward with a speed they _definitely_ hadn’t shown before, closing inches in seconds as the sound of machinery starts to whir around them– 

He slams his hands back into them, freezing them in place, and everything’s quiet again. 

Arthur’s breathing has picked up, taking gulps of air, and he realizes he’s scrambled back and closer to him at some point. 

He looks up at him after a moment. “You… you okay?” 

“Yeah- sorry. Just- let my guard down for a second. I could do this all day.” _As long as I stay focused._

They’re both sitting now, Arthur wedged into an odd corner, legs folded up awkwardly to sneak under Lewis’s arms. There really isn’t much space left, and his position is taking up a lot of it. If he could just readjust, maybe he could find a more comfortable position and take some of the weight off– 

_–don’t move,_ his mind snaps, stopping him just before he makes a stupid mistake. 

He forces himself to find a balance. If the weight _is_ increasing, it’s doing it slowly now. This is manageable. Not _comfortable_ , but he can stand it for as long as he needs to, he’s sure. 

A few more minutes – or maybe it’s longer, he honestly can’t tell anymore – pass by in silence. 

Distantly, he hears machinery start moving again, something huge and heavy rolling and clunking. The pressure on his arms and back stops increasing, and for a moment he relaxes, thinking maybe Vivi’s found the switch and the halls are about to open back up. 

Then the weight slams back into him as the stone judders forward, and this time he isn’t ready for it. He lands hard on the ground as the walls shift forward, both him and Arthur crying out, and he scrambles desperately to stop them again. 

He twists sideways, shoving his back against one wall and his hand against the ceiling, and then the grinding gears shudder and stop. 

By this point there’s almost no room left, with him curled around the outside of the room and Arthur with his legs folded up to fit in the small space against him. He feels _sick_ , hyperaware of the fact that even if he _wasn’t_ holding the walls back, he wouldn’t even be able to _roll over_ with how much it’s shrunk. 

In the quiet that follows, it doesn’t take him long to realize that Arthur’s breathing has turned to small, breathy noises, almost-inaudible whimpers. He shifts his skull, careful not to move his back with it, to see him better. 

He hasn’t just curled up in a ball to fit into the suddenly smaller space – he’s holding his leg, and as he squints in the flickering firelight he realizes, stomach lurching, that he can see bone pressed against the skin near the ankle. One of the sudden jolts must have caught his leg in a bad position and- _broke_ it. 

“God– Arthur, I’m _so sorry–“_

“Not your fault,” he gasps, shaking his head. “Stupid mistake. I wasn’t ready f-for… for it.” 

Unbidden, the thought of oxygen resurfaces in his mind. There might have been enough _before_ , but with how much the space has shrunk – what if air isn’t coming in anymore? How long do they have until– 

A hand taps him on the shoulder, startling him out of the thoughts. “Lew- hey. Breathe.” 

He nods in Arthur’s general direction, following his instructions. 

“Not much longer now. Right?” 

“Yeah- yeah. F-f-few minutes at- at most.” 

“Just a few minutes. Not even five.” He wants to reach out and shake his shoulder, but he stops himself. “Just gotta stay awake until then.” 

“Yeah. Just- hold on t-til then.” 

“Don’t you _dare_ pass out now.” He doesn’t bother to explain himself– _if you go I’m not going to be far behind you._

“S’long as you don’t move.” 

“Oh, don’t worry about _that_.” 

There’s a pause, the only sound Arthur’s ragged breathing. 

Then, “Lewis?” 

“Yeah?” 

Arthur’s looking at him. There’s sweat – or maybe it’s tears? – running down his face, but his eyes are clear and fixed on him. 

“I love you.” 

The simple phrase nearly stops Lewis’s heart. 

It’s the first time he’s said it since the cave. It’s quiet, and simple, and honest, and for a moment he’s at a loss for how to respond. 

“I-“ 

He’s cut off by the cacophony of every gear in this place whirring as the walls start moving again – but this time they’re moving _out_ , the crushing weight suddenly dropping from his limbs. He doesn’t _dare_ relax until the room’s back to its original size. And then they hear Vivi’s voice, and Lewis could just abut _cry_ with relief. 

“Lewis? Arthur?” A pause. “Is- is _anyone still in there?”_

“Yeah, Vi, we’re- fine-“ Arthur tries to shout, but his voice cracks and fails as soon as he tries to raise it. The sound reminds Lewis that _he_ could be yelling, too. 

“We’re okay, Vivi! Don’t come in – we’ll come to you!” 

“Okay!” 

He rises and moves for the exit, the one he can hear her voice drifting from – but Arthur can’t even make it to his knees before collapsing to the ground again. He turns back and scoops him up, fitting him easily into one arm. It’s only now that he can see the glistening dark spots on the wall and floor where he was laying, belying the amount of blood he’s lost. 

He moves slowly at first, straining his ears for any sound of grinding stone – and then when he sees the exit to the larger complex, with Vivi waiting by it, he’s off like a shot. 

“Oh, thank god, you’re- _woah!”_

“Sorry, gotta- _out,”_ he manages to yell back, rushing for the main doors. 

Seeing the sun is the greatest feeling in the world. He rushes outside and tumbles onto the grass, dropping Arthur and rolling over to stare at the sky. 

The air is crisp and cool and clear, the ground beneath him soft dirt instead of hard stone. Everything around him is open, nothing but ground and sky as far as he can see. No walls to stop him. It might be the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. 

“Li’l bit of a rough lan-la-landing there, Lew,” Arthur groans from his side. 

“Sorry. I just…” he trails off with a shaky exhale. 

“Yeah, no, I- yeah.” 

He hears footsteps in the grass, and then Vivi’s voice saying, “everything okay?” 

“Yeah,” Arthur answers for him. “We got… t-uh- penned in when the w- th-the tunnels started closing.” 

“I figured, when I couldn’t find you. Glad I went with my instincts. You’re okay other than that?” 

“Yeah-“ 

“Wait, no!” Lewis sits up. “We need to get Arthur to the hospital- he’s cut pretty bad and his leg’s broken.” 

“Well why didn’t you _say something_ , stupid!” Vivi scrambles up and rushes to the van. 

Arthur tries to roll over and get up, but Lewis is there before he can, lifting him gently and carrying him bridal-style to the back of the van. 

“You two are so _fucking_ dramatic, y- you- y’know that?” Arthur huffs.

“Shush.” 

The van ride to the hospital is _hell_. Once he’s got the gash in Arthur’s side properly bandaged, there’s nothing to distract him. He keeps himself away from the walls, but can’t stop himself reaching out and touching them to reassure himself they haven’t started closing in. 

When they slow down in the parking lot, Arthur reaches out and takes Lewis’s hand, giving it a squeeze. 

“You don’t have to come in.” 

“Huh?” 

“To the hospital. You don’t gotta come in with me. Just… t-t-take a break. Go home. You nee- need the air.” 

His tension must have been showing more than he thought. ( _Arthur knows how to read you by now_ , his brain points out.) “…Sorry.” 

“Don’t.” He smacks his wrist. 

After a beat, he picks his hand back up, trying to build the courage to say what he’s thinking. 

Once the door’s slammed, signaling Vivi’s out, he commits. 

“Arthur…” 

“Mm?” 

“I love you too.” 

In the end he does decide to take a walk instead of going in the building. He floats through the lush greens of a park and stretches, sighing with relief, and trusts that Arthur will return to him soon. 


End file.
